Obama's problem is he is running against himself. In 2007 Barack Obama was an unknown outside the world of politics. In 2008 his popularity was of a magnitude and scope I still find hard to believe. The only thing I've seen that was even comparable was the Beatlemania phenomenon of the mid-sixties. Obama was everywhere. He was a great speaker, a good campaigner, he was personable, dynamic, and just about every positive intangible one can think of Obama had in boatloads. He attracted the hard left, moderates, independents and not a small number of conservatives. He was all things to all people. His "hope and change" theme was so positive, so optimistic, it hit just the right note for the times. He couldn't lose.
But those days are over. He has a record now and his policies are unpopular. He can't run on accomplishment so he has to run on personality once again, but there are huge problems with that. First it's impossible to catch lightening in a bottle like he did in 2008. He's not the new, cool, hip celebrity everybody was infatuated with back then. And although he doesn't appear tired or battle worn, the positive attitude, the charm, the charisma are gone. The Obama campaign is discovering you can only be a virgin once. So if Obama's personal attributes were a 10 the first time he ran, they're a weak 6 now, and trending down. And Obama's efforts to drive down Romney's likability are falling on deaf ears. Romney is running a substance campaign about policies and competence and the direction of the country. Nobody thinks Romney is cool and nobody expects him to compete on this front. Plus Obama's attacks go against the grain of Obama's whole persona. They do more harm than good.
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